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In her book GoldRushGrub, Ann Chandonnet seeks to
highlight the experience of stampeders from the American gold rushes, mainly through their
relationship with food. Her discussion centers firstly on the gold rush in California in
the late 1840s and early 1850s, then on the Klondike rush in the late 1890s, and lastly on
Alaska’s gold rush at the turn-of-the-century. As she explains, prior to gold rushes, on
all three territories “[…] much of [the] ground was inhospitable, nearly trackless, and
the food consumed was, for the most part, interchangeable with the simple, hearty,
seasonal fare served in farm kitchen all over North America […]. (2)” In her book, she
demonstrates the struggles faced by those deciding to leave their hometown to chase gold,
at every step of the way from their journey there to life in boom towns or isolated
diggings, and how they have managed to come up with recipes — thereby highlighting the
“grit and stubborn ingenuity of frontier cooks. (2)”.

By covering such a vast geographical space and an expansive timeline, Chandonnet is able to
demonstrate how changes in technology — from processes such as food canning and
dehydration, which both appeared in the second half of the nineteenth century — and
climate zones strongly influenced and tainted the experiences of stampeders when it came
to food, whether it was the type of food they consumed or issues of supply and
preservation. The author does a great job illustrating how these issues permeated the
recipes printed in cookbooks or transmitted amongst those who travelled on the frontier.
Another interesting aspect of her discussion is the emphasis on certain “staple” foods
which were crucial to most stampeders’ diets — notably beans and bacon, to which she
dedicates an entire chapter.

One crucial component of the author’s analysis is the importance of narratives and what they reveal on the stampeders and their food-related experiences on the frontier. Through their daily diets, the author is able to highlight many aspects of the experience of frontiersmen. Indeed, life on the frontier was tough, and Chandonnet aptly illustrates daily struggles faced by stampeders. She discusses issues faced by those who travelled in remote destinations to chase gold and by those who struck it rich and made a name for themselves in boom towns. Conversely, she also addresses narratives related to poverty or starvation, which sometimes ended in death.

Chandonnet aptly demonstrates the peculiar experience of those who witnessed the gold rushes and mainly does so by using a vast array of primary sources. Cookbooks are the primary material with which Chandonnet works. As she explains, cookbooks reflect changes in methods and hygiene, and as she puts it: “American tastes can be traced through America’s cookbooks”(5).

Through the recipes presented in these cookbooks — many of which she reprinted in her book —
she is able to demonstrate how versatile frontiersmen were when it came to cooking in
barely chartered territories and in the face of very variable climate. Moreover, the
recipes demonstrate the diversity in terms of culture which characterized “frontier life”.
For instance, many recipes reflect the influence of Native American traditions — which is
unsurprising considering their presence in most of these territories prior to the arrival
of hundreds of stampeders following the gold rushes. In addition to cookbooks, the author
uses diaries and classic literary works from famous author who witnessed the gold rushes.
For example, Chandonnet often refers to Jack London’s A
Daughter of the Snows, TheSonoftheWolf, and some
of his other works, all of which provide bits and pieces of his experience in
Klondike.

While Chandonnet’s work is impressive on many levels, notably on the variety of sources and
narratives presented, it is worth noting that it sometimes lacks a deeper analysis of
these sources. For example, she often jumps from one story to another without explaining
how they relate to one another or how and why the stories are relevant to her discussion.
The reader, therefore, has to provide its own interpretation of how the story ties in to
the discussion. At times, it seems as if the book is more about storytelling than actual
historical work, and in this sense, it often comes across as more of a presentation than
an in-depth analysis of life on the frontier. Despite this minor criticism, Chandonnet’s
book is certainly an important addition to the history of the American frontier
development and the history of American food.

Parties annexes

Note biographique

Katherine Anne St-Louis holds a bachelor’s degree in History from McGill University and a master’s degree in American History from the Université de Montréal. In her spare time, she enjoys cooking and reading, as well as practicing martial arts.